Chellah

If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you have seen I was staying at the Sofitel Rabat Jardin Des Roses, so we had the great pleasure to explore some sights considered “Must-See” in the royal city including Chellah! The most beautiful of Moroccan ruins existing since the pre-islamic era!

If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you have seen I was staying at the Sofitel Rabat Jardin Des Roses, so we had the great pleasure to explore some sights considered “Must-See” in the royal city including Chellah! The most beautiful of Moroccan ruins existing since the pre-islamic era!

Chellah is a startling sight as you emerge from the long avenues of the Ville Nouvelle. Walled and towered, it seems a much larger enclosure than the map suggests. The site has been uninhabited since 1154. But for almost a thousand years prior to that, Chellah (or Sala Colonia, as it was known) had been a thriving city and port, one of the last to sever links with the Roman Empire and the first to proclaim Moulay Idriss founder of Morocco’s original Arab dynasty. An apocryphal local tradition maintains that the Prophet himself also prayed at a shrine here.

I was probably the only one exploring a sight on heels and dress, but I got really a lot of fun discovering this ancient Roman city! I got so impressed by the number of stork flying around the minaret tower built in the XIV century!

In the mid-14th century, a Merinid sultan, Abu l-Hasan, built monuments and the main gate, dated to 1339. These later Merinid additions included a mosque, a zawiya, and royal tombs, including that of Abu l-Hasan.

Many structures in Chellah/Sala Colonia were damaged by the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, so the site has been converted to a garden and tourist venue. Actually it is included in the metropolitan area of Rabat so if you are staying in Rabat, don’t forget to pass by!